MANILA, Philippines -- Two Philippine squads will mix it up with some of the best teams in the world when the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M2 World Championships gets going in Singapore next month.

Bren Esports, the champions of MPL-Philippines, and Smart Omega, the runners-up, will take part in the competition set for January 18 to 24.

Both teams are members of the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO), the official National Sports Association that govern and develop esports in the country.

The event will take place behind closed doors at the Shangri-La Singapore, with a prize of $300,000 at stake.

Esports athletes and management teams who will participate in the tournament will follow strict public health protocols during the games, and no live audience will be allowed in the venue to ensure the safety of the participants.

Smart Omega has been drawn in Group B together with MPL MY/SG champions Todak and Impunity KH of Cambodia. Bren Esports, meanwhile, is in Group A with reigning ONE Esports MPL Invitational champion Alter Ego and Japan's 10S Gaming Frost.

Teams from Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia will also take part in the event.

Smart Omega has been officially backed by Smart Communications, Inc., which also supports PESO as a whole.

"Our support for Filipino esports athletes through the years is rooted in our firm belief that our players have the skills, talent, and dedication to be at par with the world's best players," said Jane J. Basas, SVP and head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

Smart Omega is composed of six professional Filipino Mobile Legends athletes, namely Kenneth Jiane “Kenji” Villa, Jeniel “Haze” Bata-anon, Salic “Hadji” Imam, Earin John “Heath” Esperana, Jankurt Russel “Kurttzy” Matira, and Adrian “Toshi” Bacallo.

The young and talented pro team already has several awards under its belt, including multiple championships and top awards for The Nationals, Just ML competition, Juicy Legends Pro Division, and top awards during various MPL-PH Series.

Two of the players have also represented the country in several global tournaments. Kenji and Haze both won gold for the Philippines under the Smart-powered Team Sibol during the debut of the multi-platform esports category in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. Haze also has the Challenger Summit Singapore Champion and the 2018 Southeast Asia Cyber Arena (SEACA) titles on his resume, among others.

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